


just take one look in my eyes and they will confess (you are the rhythm of my life)

by etheriasword (lightofthestars)



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: (Just a little bit), Awkward Flirting, Canon Compliant, Drunk Adora (She-Ra), Drunken Flirting, F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, mostly catradora ft. some moments w others, very very self-indulgent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:26:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24956812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightofthestars/pseuds/etheriasword
Summary: On the two-year anniversary of the defeat of Horde Prime, Bright Moon hosts a ball.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 230





	just take one look in my eyes and they will confess (you are the rhythm of my life)

On the two-year anniversary of the defeat of Horde Prime, Bright Moon hosts a ball.

Catra’s long since grown to like this new world that they’re building. It’s so different from everything she’s ever used to know, but it’s becoming a world full of warmth and freedom and joy, all things she’d long ago given up back in the Horde. And never in her wildest nightmares would she have imagined herself spending half of her days traipsing across the universe, unlocking magic across the galaxies, and returning to a princess castle that she calls her _home_.

But then, that’s precisely what’s happening, and she has to admit that it’s not exactly a nightmare. Far from it, when she’s got Adora by her side.

Adora, who’s hunched over the desk in their room, guest lists and blueprints and ridiculously complicated-looking charts tacked up on the wall, as she peers intently at a page about some ancient etiquette rule or other.

Catra’s about to lose her mind.

“Adora, come _on,_ ” she groans. “This is a lot, even for you.”

“Hey, this one is important!” Adora protests, hovering protectively next to her documents. She shoots a glare towards the couch, where Catra’s been watching her dubiously for the past twenty minutes.

“That’s what you say about, like, every party we’ve ever been to.”

“Two years is an actual pretty big milestone, and we’re also hosting this time. I just want to be prepared.”

Rolling her eyes, Catra springs to her feet and walks over to the desk, leaning over Adora’s shoulder to take a look at what she’s been so absorbed in. “I think you’re plenty prepared, and this rule also hasn’t been in place for over a century.” She taps a finger at the addendum scrawled in the bottom-right corner.

Adora squints at the text, before letting out a sigh and slumping back in her chair. “Ugh, you’re right. Maybe I do need a break.”

“You know you do,” Catra sing-songs, falling easily into Adora’s lap and looping her arms around her neck so that she can look directly into Adora’s startled gray-blue eyes. “Etheria’s not gonna fall apart again if you don’t know the name of every single person on the guest list, you know.”

“I know,” Adora says unconvincingly. She blinks, seeming surprised by her own automatic response, before giving her head a quick shake. “Sorry. Old habits just die hard, I guess.”

Catra snorts. “Tell me about it.”

Adora lets out a soft laugh at that, and Catra feels her heart speed up slightly at the sound. It’s almost absurd how much a little thing like that can affect her. How much she _lets_ it affect her, nowadays.

“Clearly, I’ve got some nerves to work through, but how are you feeling?” Adora asks, jolting Catra out of her brief moment of fawning. She feels a slight brush crawl up her neck at the thought. Ugh. Was she really fawning? “About the party, about… you know. Everything? It’s a celebration, but it’s also a reminder of all we’ve had to fight. It’s kind of a lot.”

Catra shrugs noncommittally, pulling her arms back to cross them. “I’m fine, I guess.”

“Hey.” Catra doesn’t even realize how pointedly she’s looking away until she feels Adora’s fingers under her chin, gently turning her face back to meet her gaze. “Catra, you know you can talk to me.”

Adora’s eyes are wide with concern, her expression so open and so earnest. “How are you?” she asks again.

Catra swallows past the sudden lump in her throat.

“I still get nightmares, sometimes,” she starts slowly. Even now, two years later, the words feel like they stick in her chest, loathe to actually be said out loud. “About being on his ship. About having a mind that doesn’t belong to me anymore. About… almost losing myself.”

Adora’s shoulders stiffen for a second, before relaxing again. She reaches out to touch a hand against her cheek. “I’m sorry, Catra. What you had to go through…”

“It’s okay, actually,” Catra says, and strangely, she finds that she means it. “I mean, yeah, it was super fucked up. But… Horde Prime is gone forever, and we’re still here. I know that. I know they’re just dreams.”

Adora nods slightly. “But dreams seem awfully real sometimes.”

“Yeah.”

Adora understands. She’s got her own fair share of nightmares, Catra knows. “I think I’m glad we’re having a party, though. Seems like a pretty good way to stick it to his cold, dead soul, right?”

“Right,” Adora murmurs softly. She leans up to press a gentle kiss to Catra’s forehead. “We’ll be okay. And, it’ll be fun.”

Catra smirks at that. “It will,” she agrees, before pulling Adora forward by the collar.

She closes her eyes, revelling in the feeling of Adora’s lips against hers. It’s electrifying, no matter how many times they do this.

She feels a swoop in her stomach when Adora reaches one strong arm under her knees and presses the other against her back, and stands, in one smooth motion. She makes her way towards the bed, setting Catra down gently before kicking off her boots and following suit.

And Catra gets lost in the kiss again, in Adora’s hands on her waist, in the sensation of her own fingers tangling in Adora’s soft, now-loosened hair. Until Adora, annoyingly, pulls back again. 

“Wait, wait,” she says breathlessly. “We still have to finish picking our outfits.”

Catra could scream in frustration. But she won’t. Instead, she says, exasperated, “I just sat around for like, three hours, watching you go all tactician-mode about tomorrow. We can deal with those outfits later. Will you just freaking kiss me again, already?”

Adora can’t help but laugh, but of course she obliges. Catra shudders as Adora moves downwards, trailing slow, teasing kisses along the column of Catra’s throat. “Any way I can convince you to wear those cute black boots again, though?” Adora murmurs. Catra can feel her smile against her neck. “The ones with the gold accents?”

Catra grins. “Not a chance,” she jokes easily, before tugging her upwards to kiss her again.

* * *

Adora is, for all her strengths, a complete and utter lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

Catra catches a glimpse of her and Perfuma spinning across the dance floor, laughing — at about two drinks in, by her count. There’s the hint of a warm buzzing in her own head too by that point, and she can’t help the smile that makes its way onto her face at the sound of Adora’s tipsy giggles, the sight of her blonde hair flowing loose and wild, her head flung back in unabashed joy. She watches them quietly, fondly, until they disappear from her field of vision again.

It’s about an hour later, when she’s in the middle of an idle conversation with Micah, that Glimmer chooses to materialize right by her side in a puff of purple glitter.

Catra yelps, nearly jumping right out of her boots. “Gods, Sparkles! You know I hate it when you do that!” 

“Sorry,” Glimmer says, grinning, not sounding very sorry at all. “Hi, Dad. Can I steal Catra away for a second?”

“By all means, go ahead.” Micah smiles at them and gives Glimmer a quick ruffle of her hair before he heads off in the other direction.

Smoothing out her tail with a huff, Catra turns to the Queen with a look of annoyance that’s probably borderline treasonous.

Glimmer rolls her eyes, another smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Just thought I should let you know that I think Adora’s had enough to drink for a while. She just tried to pick Mermista up and carry her on her shoulders, which, I don’t think you need me to tell you, Mermista did _not_ appreciate.”

“Of course,” Catra sighs, dragging a hand down her face.

“To be fair though, it might have been more Sea Hawk’s fault,” Glimmer muses. “I think he’s the one who said that there was no way she’d be able to do it without being in She-Ra form.”

“Ugh. Why am I dating a princess with an unquenchable thirst for competition, again?”

Glimmer laughs, placing a quick kiss on her cheek. “Bow’s got her with a glass of water, at the table by the entrance. Go get your girlfriend, Catra,” she calls over her shoulder as she whirls away.

Catra shakes her head in amusement. She says it all the time, but these people really are going to be the death of her.

As she approaches the table, Bow looks up and catches her eye. A wave of relief washes over his face. “Oh thank gods,” he says. “You have no idea how hard it was to convince her to take a break.”

“Believe me, I can imagine,” Catra snickers. “I can handle it from here. Thanks for looking out for her, Bow. ”

“Of course!” Bow flashes her a warm smile before heading back towards the dance floor. Catra turns her gaze back towards the scene before her. Adora’s slumped over in her seat, head buried in her arms and a half-empty glass of water sitting dangerously close to the edge of the table. Gingerly, Catra nudges it back towards safety before sliding into the chair next to her and giving her a firm tap on the shoulder. “Hey, sleepyhead. You doing okay?”

Adora mumbles something unintelligible into her arms, before finally pulling back to sit up. She squints in the dim lighting, her gaze wandering a little until it focuses on Catra. Her face lights up at the sight of her. Adora’s affections, for all of her loved ones, always get so much louder and bolder when she’s drunk. Catra would be lying to herself if she said that she didn’t find it even a little bit endearing, as mortifying as that thought is.

“Heey, Catra,” she exclaims, words slurred. “You’re lookin’ pretty!”

Catra blinks.

“Thanks,” she manages to say. “You too?”

That earns her a little round of giggles in response. “Aw! You’re so nice!” Then Adora frowns thoughtfully. “Sometimes — Sometimes you can be mean. Or you used to be? But that. That was really nice!”

Catra raises an eyebrow. “Uh, how much, exactly, did you have to drink tonight?”

Adora pauses, looking down at her hands in an attempt to count on her fingers while Catra watches in bemusement. After a fair amount of quiet rambling under her breath, she finally just shrugs. “’M not sure? More than four?”

“...Alright, well. Why don’t we drink some of this water, huh? I’m sure it tastes super good.”

“Okay!” Adora nods vigorously, reaching for her glass. Catra keeps a sharp eye out to make sure she doesn’t immediately knock it over. “How are you feeling?” she asks.

“Mmmm.” Adora hiccups, in between sips of water. “I’m good. I’m great, actually!”

“Well, at least you’re not throwing up,” Catra mutters. She’ll consider this night a success if it stays that way.

“Thanks for comin’ to see me,” Adora says brightly when she’s drained her glass. Her eyes are still a little unfocused, but the look of gratitude in them is clear. When Catra reaches out to give her hand a gentle squeeze in response, Adora flushes, bright red blossoming across her cheeks. “Hey, can I ask you a question?” she says suddenly.

“Sure?”

“You’re very cute. D’you happen to be single?” Adora says, giving her a smile that is surely meant to be flirty but comes across as a little bit goofy instead.

Catra’s jaw drops. Maybe Adora hasn’t sobered up as much as she’d thought. She manages to recover quickly though, and says, while trying incredibly hard not to laugh, “Unfortunately, no.”

That doesn’t quite get the reaction she expects.

Adora’s brow furrows, like she can’t quite compute what’s going on. But after what seems like a rather intense mental battle inside that pretty little head of hers, a look of understanding passes over her face. Catra breathes out in tentative relief. Finally, Adora seems to be coming back to her senses.

“Oh,” Adora says, in a small, disappointed voice. “Sorry, I… I didn’t mean to make things awkward. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, though.” She gives a little forced laugh. “Whoever— Whoever it is is one lucky person. I gotta… I gotta go.”

Never mind about her senses.

“Wait!” Catra reaches out to grab Adora’s wrist before she can stumble out of her chair and stagger right into a faceplant. “You complete and utter idiot,” she grumbles. “ _You’re_ my girlfriend, Adora.”

“Oh. _Oh!_ ” A broad, surprised grin slowly spreads across Adora’s face. It’d be cute, if the whole situation wasn’t so ridiculous. “Um, can I kiss you then?”

Catra lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Yes, you may. And then we’re getting you back to our room. I think you need a nap.”

Then she leans in to meet her halfway, and despite everything, Catra still can’t help the purr that rises in her chest when Adora finally kisses her.

**Author's Note:**

> title is from "Heartbeat" by Mat Kearney.
> 
> yes this was all an elaborate way to get to that meme where one person gets really drunk and flirts with the other and cries when they find out they're not single until they're like IM DATING YOU WTF because i thought about it and could not stop thinking about it and catradora.
> 
> hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for reading! and kudos/comments are always appreciated


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